Department for Education

Mathematics: Education

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment ofadditional resources required to enable all pupils to study mathematics up to the age of 18.

Baroness Barran: In April, the Department set out the first steps the Government will take towards building an education system in which all young people study mathematics up to age 18. This included the appointment of an expert advisory group made up of experts from academia, industry and frontline provision to build the evidence on what mathematics knowledge and skills it is most important for young people to possess, and to advise the Prime Minister and the Department on the appropriate next steps.

Teachers: Secondary Education

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their target for the recruitment of traineesecondary school teachers in 2023–24; what assessment they have made of whether there will be a shortfall in the number of those training to become secondary school teachers during that period; and what steps they are taking to ensure that secondary schools in England continue to have enough teachers.

Baroness Barran: Education is a devolved matter, and this response outlines relevant information for England only.There are now over 468,000 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state-funded schools in England, which is an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes it the highest FTE of teachers since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.The Teacher Workforce Model is used by DfE to calculate postgraduate initial teacher training (PGITT) targets for individual subjects. The model considers a broad range of factors including but not limited to projected pupil numbers, all forms of teacher recruitment (not just ITT), and the expected level of teacher retention. The PGITT target for secondary teachers in 2023/24 is 26,360. The targets are published on GOV.UK at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/postgraduate-initial-teacher-training-targets.The Department monitors and reviews teacher recruitment through the annual Initial Teacher Training Census (published each December). The latest information on ITT recruitment reported against PGITT targets can be found in the Initial Teacher Training Census statistical publication at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/initial-teacher-training-census/2022-23. The performance against targets for the 2023/24 academic year will be published this December.As expected, the unprecedented increase in new entrants to ITT during 2020/21 because of the COVID-19 pandemic has since declined. The graduate and general labour markets became more competitive and pay has risen in competing sectors.To boost teacher recruitment and retention, the Department has introduced the biggest teaching reform in a generation, the Early Career Framework (ECF). The ECF provides the solid foundations for a successful career in teaching, backed by over £130 million a year in funding.The Department has also accepted in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendations for the 2023/24 pay award for teachers and leaders, resulting in a pay award of 6.5% , the highest for teachers in over thirty years. This comes on top of the record pay rise in 2022/23 of 5.4% on average, meaning that over two years, teacher pay is increasing by more than 12% on average.There is still further to go to improve recruitment in some subjects. To address this a range of measures have been put in place, including bursaries worth up to £27,000 tax-free and scholarships worth up to £29,000 tax-free, to encourage talented trainees to key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing.A Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 tax-free is also being offered for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first 5 years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools, including in Education Investment Areas. This will support recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in these subjects and in the schools and areas that need them most.

Ministry of Defence

AUKUS

Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government how work on AUKUSPillar 2 is progressing.

Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Defence, who is responsible for coordinating work on AUKUS Pillar 1, is also able to coordinate work on Pillar 2 across His Majesty's Government and industry.

Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of progress being made in agreeing tri-national tasks of (1) vetting, (2) legal framework, and (3) standards, as AUKUS moves forward.

Baroness Goldie: Good progress is being made on AUKUS Pillar 2, the Advanced Capabilities Pillar, on quantum technologies, undersea capabilities, artificial intelligence and cyber, hypersonic and counter-hypersonic capabilities, and electronic warfare capabilities, supported by two enabling workstreams covering innovation, and information sharing. Substantial progress is being made in accelerating the near-term delivery of certain capabilities that will meet our militaries' requirements earlier: the first AUKUS artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomy trial, held in Wiltshire this April, achieved several world firsts, including the live retraining of models in flight and the interchange of AI models between AUKUS nations. AUKUS Principals met in London for the Advanced Capabilities Executive Group where they had productive discussions on Pillar 2 progress and endorsed a trilateral plan for engagement with industry ahead of the next meeting in November. Whilst the Defence Secretary is the overall minister responsible for AUKUS, he is supported by the Permanent Secretary who is the most senior official on AUKUS, covering both Pillars 1 and 2. In the two years following the AUKUS announcement, the UK continues to work well on a trilateral basis, developing and implementing ambitious plans to streamline defence trade, whilst also strengthening our ability to protect sensitive technologies that underpin our security. Vetting, legal frameworks and establishing standards are an important part of wider AUKUS activity planned, with good progress being made overall.

Navy: Uniforms

Lord Rooker: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byBaroness Goldie on 22 June 2022 (HL Deb col 224), what was the result of the inquiries that were made regarding cotton products used by the Royal Navy.

Baroness Goldie: It is longstanding policy that the use of slave labour is a mandatory exclusion from contracts with the Ministry of Defence; this policy is currently captured within the Procurement Contract Regulations (2015). In line with this policy the current supplier of combat clothing follows a code of practice under which cotton sourced from countries or regions at high risk of forced labour or child labour is prohibited, including the Xinjiang province of China. This is subject to regular review, and inspections of overseas suppliers are performed to ensure adherence to this policy.

Department of Health and Social Care

Fractures: Health Services

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their commitment in theMajor Conditions Strategy:case for change and our strategic framework, published on 14 August and updated on 21 August, to set up more fracture liaison services, whether the responsibility for that initiative lies with the Department of Health and Social Care or with NHS England.

Lord Markham: In August 2023, we set out our initial plans for the Major Conditions Strategy within the Case for change and our strategic framework. This initial report sets out what we have learned so far, and shares what we plan to focus on next to develop the final strategy. This includes, together with NHS England, exploring further support for the provision of Fracture Liaison Services. This could include identifying people at risk of further osteoporotic fragility fracture and implementing strategies to reduce the risk of future fracture (including falls) and mortality.The final strategy will be published in early 2024.

Suicide: Mental Health Services

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government whatmeasures exist to support effective suicide (1) surveillance, and (2) prevention.

Lord Markham: The National near Real Time Suspected Suicide Surveillance system will be live by the end of 2023. Its reports will act as an early warning system for indications of change in suicides through analysis of data on suspected suicides. Everyone has a role to play in suicide prevention and the Government published its new five-year, cross-Government and cross-sector suicide prevention strategy for England on 11 September 2023. The content of the strategy was informed by data, evidence, and engagement with stakeholders, including people with lived experience, and by the mental health and wellbeing plan call for evidence conducted in 2022. The Strategy is a call for action for national and local government, the health service, and the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector, employers, and individuals to tackle suicide. It sets out over 100 actions from across a wide range of organisations to support our ambitions for suicide prevention.

Department of Health and Social Care: General Medical Council

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask His Majesty's Government when they last met the General Medical Council; and what was covered on the agenda.

Lord Markham: The Government meets with the General Medical Council (GMC) on a regular basis.The Minister of State for Health and Secondary Care (Will Quince MP) last met with the GMC on 19 July 2023. The agenda covered the following items:The NHS Long-Term Workforce Plan; andRegulatory reform.

Cabinet Office

National Security: China

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to respond to the report of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament China [HC 1605], published on 13 July; and whether they plan to hold a debate on the report.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: I refer the noble Lord to the written statement of 14 September 2023, Official Report, HLWS1012. I also refer to the answer of 11 September 2023, Official Report, Column 773.

Public Expenditure: Cost Effectiveness

Lord Kempsell: To ask His Majesty's Government what stepsthey are taking to improve the evaluation of their policies, andwhat progress has been made on the work of the Evaluation Task Force.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Evaluation Task Force (ETF), set up in April 2021, has provided advice on 211 evaluations covering £115bn of Government spending. It has also launched the £15m Evaluation Accelerator Fund through which more than 20 evaluations have been funded in priority areas.The ETF is currently updating the Government's major projects review with the hope that all new major programmes in Government will have a robust evaluation in place by 2023 By launching the Evaluation Registry the ETF will provide a single repository of evaluations of UK Government programmes, policies and projects. The Registry has been preloaded with over 2,000 existing Government evaluation reports, making it one of the largest sources of policy evidence in the world. Finally, the ETF has set up and delivered the Evaluation Academy to 42 Civil Servants in 13 ministerial departments and the Scottish Government. These delegates have gone on to share this expertise by training over 1,100 civil servants in their respective Departments, creating free and sustainable evaluation training.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Pakistan: Religion

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to measure and evaluate (1) the effectiveness, and (2) the impact of projects that monitor the evacuation of religious minorities from areas affected by religious persecution in Pakistan.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government strongly condemns the violence faced by religious minorities in Pakistan. I [Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia] condemned recent attacks against religious minorities in my meetings with Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on 13 September, and Pakistani High Commissioner Mohammed Faisal on 6 September. UK aid in Pakistan continues to support projects promoting the rights of religious minorities. Our Aawaz II programme brings together community leaders and minority representatives to promote tolerance. The British High Commission recently attended the Aawaz Interfaith dialogue in Lahore, which convened key stakeholders from across Punjab following the attacks against Christians in Jaranwala. Our Hate Speech and Disinformation programme is working to protect marginalised communities from hate speech online.

Pakistan: Christianity

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what projectsthey are currently funding to improve (1) the quality of education, and (2) access to education for the Christian community, in Pakistan.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how many Christian students in Pakistan have (1) benefited from, and (2) graduated from, university as a result of projects funded through UK foreign aid to improve the quality of, and access to, education for their local community.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Since 2011, UK aid to Pakistan has helped over 11.6 million children attend primary school (including 5.5 million girls) and over 5.9 million children in secondary school (2.5 million girls). The UK's programme of support for education has helped thousands of children from religious minorities attend school and gain skills. We have also commissioned studies to identify minorities' needs in education. In July, the British High Commission participated in a civil society-led panel discussion on Minorities and Education. The UK has supported initiatives to review the National Curriculum of Pakistan, providing technical assistance to create a more inclusive curriculum and textbooks.

Treasury

UK Trade with EU

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) customs requirements, and (2) other requirements, are placed upon firms from Great Britain exporting goods directly to the EU.

Baroness Penn: Goods exported directly from Great Britain (GB) to the European Union (EU), including goods exported to Ireland, are subject to customs formalities. This means goods must be presented and declared to customs, they must not be exported without the permission of HMRC and a message must be sent after their departure to confirm the goods have left GB. Information on the export process, including special rules and requirements for licences or certificates, can be found on GOV.UK[1].  The customs authorities of EU member states are responsible for the management of their import procedures. [1] https://www.gov.uk/export-goods

Home Office

Cybercrime: International Cooperation

Lord Stevenson of Balmacara: To ask His Majesty's Government what contribution they are making to international efforts to (1) identify, (2) and counter, cybercriminal gangs who target networks and users in the UK.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The UK is a world leader in cyber security. Our operational agencies, such as the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and National Crime Agency (NCA) are a source of international best practice, and we strongly support international cooperation to tackle cyber crime. The Government’s approach to countering this threat is set out in the National Cyber Strategy (2022), under the pillar of detecting, disrupting and deterring our adversaries.Cyber-crime is a global threat. Criminals and the technical infrastructure they use are often based in uncooperative jurisdictions, making international collaboration essential. Across our law enforcement network, we seek to maximise international links as part of our response to criminal activity. Alongside working closely with UK police and regional organised crime units, the NCA have built crucial relationships with partners such as Europol, the FBI, and the US Secret Service to assess cyber crime risks, share intelligence and coordinate action.The NCA works to identify cyber criminals impacting the UK, wherever they are in the world. Working with international partners to target and disrupt cyber criminal gangs and the illicit cyber crime ecosystem that supports them. For example, in February 2023, we announced sanctions against seven Russian cyber criminals involved in the notorious organised crime group behind many of the most damaging ransomware groups in the last few years involving TRICKBOT, CONTI and RYUK ransomware. A second wave of sanctions was announced in September demonstrating the NCA’s unrelenting targeting of cyber-criminals.The UK continues to shape the global conversation at multilateral forums and bilaterally to drive cooperation to deter malicious cyber activity. We have promoted the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime since it was agreed in 2001, and we are taking an active role in the development of the proposed UN treaty on cybercrime, to ensure that it supports international cooperation on tackling crimes that all countries face, while protecting human rights.

Asylum: Children

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children aged (1) 16–17, and (2) under 16, who are likely to arrive in the UK in the next 12 months.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The data requested cannot be provided as it depends on live operational databases that have not been quality assured. The Home Office uses this data alongside historical trends, expert opinion and other data sources to plan for a range of possible future asylum application demand, reflecting the unpredictability of world events and other drivers of immigration a range of projections are produced.

Police: Veterans

Baroness Buscombe: To ask His Majesty's Government whether there is any policy in place, expressed or implied, that prevents or deters ex-armed forces personnel from being accepted into any part of the police force.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Police officer recruits are welcomed from all backgrounds, subject to passing the recruitment standards set by the College of Policing. This includes those who have served in the military and our unprecedented recruitment campaign sought to promote and amplify these opportunities.The Police Uplift Programme engaged with relevant organisations to encourage applications from those with armed forces experience and a specific military access pathway pilot, led by Nottinghamshire Police, has recently concluded. Further roll out of this scheme is currently being considered by the College of Policing as part of wider work on police entry routes.A survey of new police officer recruits, conducted in 2022 as part of the Police Uplift Programme, found that 3% of the preceding year’s recruits had military experience prior to joining the police. However, the Home Office does not hold data to allow an assessment of whether this proportion reflects the backgrounds of the wider police force.

Police: Veterans

Baroness Buscombe: To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of the current police force is made up of ex-armed forces personnel.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office does not hold information on serving officers’ professional background.A survey of new police officer recruits, conducted in 2022 as part of the Police Uplift Programme, found that 3% of the preceding year’s recruits had military experience prior to joining the police. However, the Home Office does not hold data to assess whether this proportion reflects the backgrounds of the wider police force.

Asylum: Children

Lord Scriven: To ask His Majesty's Government in the past two yearshow many children who have arrived in the UK unaccompanied and seeking asylum, who have had their age verified, and who have been placed in hotels provided by the Home Office whilewaiting to be placed with a local authority, were aged: (1) under 5 years, (2)5 years old, (3)6 years old, (4)7 years old, (5)8 years old, (6)9 years old, (7) 10 years old, (8)11 years old, (9) 12 years old, (10) 13 years old, (11) 14 years old, (12)15 years old, and (13)16 years old.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: We take the safety and welfare of those in our care, including unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, extremely seriously. Any unaccompanied child who enters the UK via small boat and claims to be under the age of 18 will go through an age assessment process, unless they are clearly a child. Following an initial age determination which is undertaken by Home Office officials, anyone accepted as under 18 years old will be processed as a child. If officials cannot be sure a person is significantly over 18 years old, the Home Office will treat the person as a child pending further in-depth assessment.We have robust safeguarding procedures in place to ensure all unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in hotels are as safe and supported as possible as we seek urgent placements with a local authority. No individuals, apart from the unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, are residing at any of the hotels ring-fenced for children. All individuals working directly with the young people accommodated at the hotels have Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks, and all those working and operating on the hotel sites have DBS clearance. The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) found that the young people accommodated at the hotels unanimously reported feeling happy and safe.The data requested cannot be provided as it comes from live operational databases that have not been quality assured.

Migrants: Health Services

Baroness Garden of Frognal: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on academic institutions in the UK of increasing the annual immigration health surcharge for overseas researchers from £624 to £1,035 for main applicants and to £776 for child dependants from this autumn in combination with an increase of 15 per cent in visa fees.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The Government is preparing full economic impact assessments for the increases to the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) and the immigration and nationality fees. Regulations will be laid in Autumn to increase immigration and nationality fees and the IHS. The IHS rates have not increased since 2020, and the cost of providing public services has increased in that time. It is right that we keep the IHS level under review to ensure that it reflects the genuine cost to the NHS of providing healthcare to those who pay it.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Baroness Buscombe: To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to introduce requirements to prevent non-resident EU citizens from remaining in the UK for longer than 90 days out of 180 days, without obtaining a visa valid for 6 months at their own expense.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: All visitors to the UK (including those from the EU) are permitted to come for up to 6 months, regardless of their nationality or whether they require a visa in advance of travelling to the UK. Nationals of EU Member States do not currently require a visa to visit the UK.

Asylum

Lord German: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on (1) refugees, and (2) local authorities, of starting the move-on period for refugees granted asylum at the point they receive notice of their asylum decision instead of when they receive their Biometric Residence Permit.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: An individual remains eligible for asylum support for a prescribed period from the day they are notified of the decision on their asylum claim. Where someone is given notice that their asylum claim has been granted, their appeal has been allowed or their asylum claim has been refused but they have been given leave to enter or remain, the prescribed period in legislation is 28 days. Individuals should make plans to move on from asylum support as quickly as possible. Migrant Help are available to provide ‘Move On’ support, which includes advice on accessing jobs, housing and benefits.

Migrant Workers: Visas

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made ofthe number of applicants for Global Talent Visas, and the reasons for any shortfall in that number, and whether they intend to review associated policies which might deter applicants, such as increased health surcharges.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The Global Talent route is for individuals recognised as leaders, or who have demonstrated promise to become leaders, in their field. It forms part of the wider offer for skilled workers.Since its launch in 2020, the Global Talent route has seen a significant increase in applicants. In the year ending June 2023, there was a 76% rise (+1,679) in Global Talent visas to 3,901 grants, compared to the year ending June 2022. Applications across work routes, such as Skilled Worker, are at record highs.As with all immigration routes, we keep the requirements under review. We continue to work closely with the Global Talent endorsing bodies, who assist in setting endorsement criteria by virtue of their position as the UK’s leading experts in the scientific, digital technology, and arts and culture sectors.Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) rates have not increased since 2020, and the cost of providing public services has increased in that time. It is right that we keep the IHS level under review to ensure that it reflects the genuine cost to the NHS of providing healthcare to those who pay it.

Bibby Stockholm

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for the future of the Bibby Stockholm barge.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: Further tests have been conducted in recent weeks. Once those are complete and it is safe to do so, we will move people back onto the Bibby Stockholm.

Asylum: Children

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government whether, in the instance a child is found after going missing from Home Office accommodation, they are initially returned to hotel accommodation or the care of the local authority.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: When a missing child is found, a referral to the local authority is made with a clear expectation that they are taken into local authority care.Hotel accommodation is a temporary means to accommodate the increased number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) arriving and is only ever a contingency option, not a long-term solution. Out of necessity we accommodated UASC on an emergency and temporary basis in hotels while placements with local authorities have been vigorously pursued.Ending the use of hotels for UASC is an absolute priority and we will continue to work around the clock with councils to increase the number of care placements available.

Migrant Workers: Visas

Lord Rosser: To ask His Majesty's Government what caps are in place for work-related visas, and how they are enforced.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The UK’s Points Based system Skilled Worker and Temporary Worker routes are not capped, with the exception of the Seasonal Worker route which is specifically designed to support the UK horticulture sector. A sector in which growers typically require higher volumes of labour, for relatively short-term periods of time, in line with seasonal production peaks. The Seasonal Worker route currently has 45,000 visas available. A further 10,000 places will be released if there is sufficient evidence of need, and contingent with improvements in worker welfare. A separate quota of 2,000 places is also available to support the poultry sector in the run up to Christmas. These allocations are divided amongst the licenced Scheme Operators, in line with published policy, and are managed via the Home Office’s Sponsor Management System.

Asylum: Applications

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government from what date asylum applications were first treated as withdrawn on the basis that the claimant failed to report or to inform the Home Office of a change of address.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: We do not currently publish data on the date asylum claims were first treated as withdrawn on the basis that the claimant failed to report or to inform the Home Office of a change of address. However, official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, as well as quality and availability of data.Changes to the Immigration Rules were laid on 17 July 2023 and implemented on 7 August 2023 which included amending paragraph 333C to provide clarification on the circumstances in which an asylum claim can be treated as withdrawn.The withdrawal of asylum claims is not a new process. It is a longstanding principle that claims that are explicitly or implicitly withdrawn will have their consideration discontinued. At each step of the asylum process, claimants are warned about the importance of complying with the asylum process and the prospect of withdrawal of their asylum claim should they fail to do so.

Asylum: Employment

Lord Stone of Blackheath: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for allowing asylum seekers to work and cover the cost of their own living expenses.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: There are no plans to change the existing policy, which allows asylum seekers to work if their claim has been outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own. It is important that our approach distinguishes between those who need protection and those seeking to work here who should apply for a work visa under the Immigration Rules. Asylum seekers do not need to make perilous journeys in order to seek employment in the United Kingdom, and we are concerned such a change could be a further pull factor.The Home Office has a legal obligation, as set out in the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, to support asylum seekers (including any dependants) who would otherwise be destitute. This may include the provision of accommodation and/or subsistence support.The level of the allowance given to those supported under 1999 Act is reviewed each year to ensure it covers asylum seekers’ essential living needs.

Refugees: Housing and Universal Credit

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions have taken place among (1) the Home Office, (2) the Department for Work and Pensions, and (3) the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, on extending the move-on period for newly recognised refugees to at least 56 days, in line with the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and applications for Universal Credit.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The Home Office only has a legal obligation to support someone until the end of the prescribed move-on period. Where someone is given notice that their asylum claim has been granted, their appeal has been allowed or their asylum claim has been refused but they have been given leave to enter or remain, the prescribed period is 28 days.We are engaging the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on ensuring individuals can move on from asylum support as smoothly as possible.

Department for Transport

Bicycles and Electric Scooters

Lord Storey: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the legal age for riding (1) an electric scooter, or (2) an electric bike, on the road;and what road and safety awareness training is required in order to do so.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: In the UK, e-scooters are classed in law as a type of motor vehicle, therefore, all users of e-scooters in approved rental trial areas are required to hold a driving licence, a provisional as a minimum. Users are not required to complete a mandatory training course, but the Department recommends e-scooter providers offer training courses to users. Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles (EAPCs), otherwise known as e-cycles, cannot be ridden by anyone under the age of 14 and road and safety awareness training is not required to ride them. The Highway Code provides advice on how to safely ride a cycle, including an e-cycle. If an e-cycle does not meet the EAPC requirements set out in the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles Regulations 1983 (as amended) it will be classed as a motor vehicle in GB law and will be subject to approval, registration, insurance, vehicle excise duty and road worthiness testing. The user will need to have the appropriate driving licence and wear an approved helmet.

Department for Business and Trade

Post Offices

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking toincrease the number of services and facilities that can be accessed from Post Offices.

The Earl of Minto: While publicly owned, Post Office operates at arm’s length from Government as a commercial business with its own Board. Government protects access to a range of key services, but Post Office has commercial freedom to adapt its services to meet the needs of its diverse customer base. Post Office continues to work with both the private and public sectors to identify new opportunities to deliver different services through its network.

Post Offices: Closures

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe number of closures of Post Offices; and what steps they are taking to reverse this trend.

The Earl of Minto: Government is committed to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the Post Office network and has provided over £2.5 billion in funding to support the Post Office network over the past decade and is providing a further £335 million for the Post Office between 2022 and 2025.The Post Office network is not in decline. As CEO Nick Read confirmed recently, the network is as large as it has been for about five years with over 11,600 branches. Government continues to monitor Post Office's network numbers and performance, and Post Office publishes an annual network report.

Entry Clearances: India

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for making thousands of student visas available to Indian citizens to help secure a trade deal.

Lord Offord of Garvel: While I cannot comment on ongoing negotiations, student visas are not part of FTA negotiations. Only business mobility would be negotiated in an FTA and negotiations could only ever cover temporary business travel. Any FTA commitments are for limited, temporary, and specific purposes. Any agreement would be consistent with the points-based immigration system.

Small Businesses: Billing

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the SME Insights Report, published in July, which found that UK businesses are owed £32.1 billion in late payments.

The Earl of Minto: The Government is aware that late payment remains a significant problem for small businesses across the country. That is why at the beginning of 2023 the Government launched a review of Cash flow and Prompt Payment, alongside a public consultation on the Payment Performance Regulations. The findings of the review, alongside the consultation response, will be published later in 2023. The Government will use the findings of this review to improve payment culture in the UK and to reduce late payments and its impact on SMEs.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Domestic Waste: Recycling

Earl Russell: To ask His Majesty's Government which local authorities requireresidents to sort their rubbish into seven different bins.

Lord Benyon: We do not require local authorities to submit this information to central Government as a standard requirement. Local authorities vary their collection arrangements in line with local decisions. Information on the number of bins or containers offered to residents for recycling collections is publicly available on each local authority website.

Village Halls: Finance

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government how much grant-funding was paid to village halls seeking to improve and modernise their facilities in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, and (4) 2022.

Lord Benyon: Village halls received grant funding to improve and modernise their facilities under the Village Hall Improvement Grant Fund in the amounts of (1) £392,228 in financial year 2019-2020, (2) £1,180,917 in financial year 2020-2021, (3) £868,357 in financial year 2021-2022, and (4) £203,742 in financial year 2022-2023.

Animal Products: UK Internal Trade

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with the EU regarding an SPSVeterinary Agreement following the implementation of the Windsor Framework.

Lord Benyon: From 1 October, new arrangements under the Windsor Framework will ease the movement of food, plants, and seeds moving into Northern Ireland, protecting the availability, choice and supply of these essential goods. For wider EU trading arrangements, the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) establishes trade based on zero tariffs and zero quotas, and the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) chapter of the TCA creates a structure that allows the UK and the EU to take informed decisions to reduce their respective SPS controls, with a commitment to avoid unnecessary barriers to trade. We previously raised SPS equivalence with the EU in TCA negotiations, and they would not countenance it. We are open to discussions with the EU on additional steps to further reduce trade friction, but these cannot be on the basis of future alignment with EU rules. This would compromise UK sovereignty over our own laws.

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Benyon on 15 September (HL9984), whether Northern Ireland for the purpose of EU regulation 2017/625 will be treated as the entry point into the territory of the EU.

Lord Benyon: Where goods are moved through the red lane, they will be able to move onwards from Northern Ireland into the EU without further checks or processes. Where goods are moved in the green lane, they are able to move only within the United Kingdom, in line with the entirely new set of arrangements the Windsor Framework puts in place to protect internal UK trade.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners on Remand

Lord Patten: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the average time those who enter prison on remand to await trial and sentencing will spend in custody.

Lord Bellamy: The methodology for calculating the amount of time spent on custodial remand is currently being reviewed and further clarification will be issued in due course.

Probation

Lord Laming: To ask His Majesty's Government what action they intend to takein response to the findings of theHis Majesty'sInspectorate of Probation's Annual Report 2022/2023.

Lord Bellamy: The Ministry of Justice fully recognises the challenges raised by the Chief Inspector in his annual report and my Right Honourable Friend, the Prisons and Probation Minister will respond to him in full. We are committed to addressing the issues he outlines, most vitally around staffing levels and the need to improve the management of risk. We have injected extra funding of more than £155 million a year to deliver more robust supervision, reduce caseloads and recruit thousands more staff to keep the public safe. The unified Probation Service is delivering greater consistency in supervision and we are already giving local leaders greater decision-making powers so they can better address the issues that are unique to their local area.

Animal Welfare: Sentencing

Lord Kamall: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Bellamy on 2 May (HL6631), how many times magistrate courts have awarded a sentence of more than the Sentencing Council's maximum sentence for any offence, where the legal maximum is longer than the Sentencing Council's guidelines, in the past five years.

Lord Bellamy: The Ministry of Justice does not hold this information in the format requested. To obtain this information would be at disproportionate cost. Further to PQ HL6631, you may be interested to know that the Council listened to the concerns raised by stakeholders in response to its consultation and decided to increase the sentencing range upper limit for the most serious animal cruelty offences to 3 years and 6 months custody.

Closed Material Procedure in the Justice and Security Act 2013 Review

Lord Anderson of Ipswich: To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to publish their response to Sir Duncan Ouseley’s independent report on the operation of the closed material procedure under the Justice and Security Act 2013, which was carried out pursuant to section 13 of the Act and laid before Parliament in November 2022.

Lord Bellamy: The Government is carefully considering the recommendations made by Sir Duncan Ouseley in his Independent Report on the Operation of Closed Material Procedures under the Justice and Security Act 2013 and is working to establish how any recommendations that we take forward could be sustainably and effectively implemented. Subject to this detailed ongoing work, the Government aims to publish its response to Sir Duncan’s report by early 2024.

Secure Accommodation: Young Offenders

Lord Bradley: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce the use of PAVA spray to the youth justice secure estate.

Lord Bellamy: Following the roll-out of PAVA spray to the adult male estate, HM Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) is examining the case for making it similarly available to staff in Young Offender Institutions in the youth estate. Its use is not being considered in Secure Training Centres or Secure Children’s Homes. HMPPS separately have dedicated national response staff who are permitted to use PAVA when authorised to do so to resolve serious incidents in both adult prisons and Young Offender Institutions.As with any potential safety measure, all available evidence is being assessed to make sure that an informed decision is taken. This assessment includes detailed consideration of the medical and legal implications, including any age-related factors, as well as an evaluation of its implementation in the adult male estate.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Research: Scientists

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of research scientists who have left the UK in the past three years to move to EU countries in order to take up European Research Council grants; and, based on previous levels of income to UK from Horizon, what is their estimate of the amount lost to UK research as a result of the gap in UK membership of the scheme.

Viscount Camrose: The Government has made no assessment of the number of research scientists leaving the UK.The Government’s Horizon Europe Guarantee scheme maintained a lifeline for UK researchers and businesses by guaranteeing the funding of bids into the Horizon Europe programme, meaning no UK researchers have been left out of pocket, nor needed to leave the UK. The Guarantee scheme has issued over 2,500 grant offers worth £1.35 billion to the end of August 2023.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Social Rented Housing: Overcrowding

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government whatis their latest assessment of the level of overcrowding in the social housing sector.

Lord Evans of Rainow: Data on the levels of overcrowding can be found in the English Housing Survey 2021 to 2022: social rented sector reportWe are committed to reducing overcrowding and the length of social housing waiting lists, by increasing the supply of affordable housing and enabling councils and other social landlords to make better use of their existing stock.That is why since 2010, we have delivered over 659,500 new affordable homes, including over 468,700 affordable homes for rent, of which over 166,300 homes for social rent. Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes for both rent and to buy right across the country, and we have also recently launched our £750 million Local Authority Housing Fund.English Housing Survey (pdf, 2816.3KB)

Housing: Construction

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government which, if any, of their advisory groups, or relevant public bodies, supported the changes to Nutrient Neutrality Rules that would require local authorities to disregard scientific evidence of the pollution impacts from new housing.

Lord Evans of Rainow: In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.